Hume & Hovell Print Page

The monument commemorates Hume and Hovell who passed through Deer Park in 1824. The cairn was unveiled on the 19th December 1924 by a niece of Hamilton Hume during the centenary year of their exploration. 

In 1824, Hamilton Hume and William Hovell led an expedition of discovery to find new grazing land for the colony. They and their party trekked south from Appin to Lake George, then on into Victoria, keeping west of the Great Dividing Range and ending up at Corio Bay, on the Victorian coast, where present day Geelong is situated. Hovell mistakenly believed they had arrived at Westernport, and did not realise his mistake until after his return.

At the centenary of Hume and Hovell exploration in 1924 a committee was formed to co-ordinate and organise local celebrations along the route from Albury to Corio Bay. An itinerary was created for the unveiling ceremonies giving the hour and date for each place concerned from 15 to 21 November 1924.

Monuments, cairns or plaques commemorating this expedition were erected at Allan`s Flat, Avenel, Back Creek, Barjarg, Bellbridge, Broadford, Bulla, Deer Park, Ebden, Euroa, Everton, Hansonville, Hume Reservoir, Kilmore, Lara, Lima South, Meadow Creek, Molyullah, Mount Buffalo, Moyhu, Murmungee, Myrtleford, Samaria, Samaria West, Seymour, Staghorn Flat, St Albans, Stanley, Strath Creek, Swanpool, Tatong (Dodd`s Crossing), Violet Town, Warrenbayne West, Werribee, Whorouly, Woodfield Yarck and Yea.

The location of the plaques erected at Lima South is unknown.  It is believed that the plaque at Hansonville has come from another location as the date on the plaque does not match the date that the expedition was there.

Memorials to the explorers Hume and Hovell were unveiled yesterday by Sir J. Barrett at St. Albans, Deer Park and Werribee. These were the last of the large number which have been erected recently in Victoria along the route traversed by the explorers in 1824. Sir J. Barrett was accompanied yesterday by Mr. Long, of the Education department, and Mr. Hansford, of the Lands department.
Age (Melbourne), 20 December 1924.

HUME-HOVELL CENTENARY.
With the unveiling ceremony of memorials at St. Alban's, Deer Park, and Werribee, commemorating the historical overland journey of the Australian explorers, Hume and Hovell, in 1824, the chain of monuments stretching from the Murray River to Lara, on Corio Bay, has been completed. The route followed by the explorers intersects the four arterial roads from Melbourne to Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, and Sydney, and cairns have been erected at prominent points on each of these highways. Sir James Barrett, assisted Miss Ellen M'Donald and Master Reginald Hume, unveiled the monument at St. Alban's; Miss Bernie Hume, the little daughter of Mr. W. R. Hume, performed the ceremony at Deer Park ; and Miss Mary Cunningham, the daughter of the president of the Werribee Shire unveiled the Werribee memorial. 
Albury Banner and Wodonga Express (NSW), 26 December 1924.

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